Discover fresh ways to use your favorite embroidery
designs! The Design Muse tutorial series highlights
simple techniques and tricks you can apply to all kinds
of projects. Let these ideas inspire your own unique
creations!

The beautiful thing about embroidery is how
versatile it is depending on how you use it. If you get
a little creative, you can transform one design type
into something new! For example, applique is a wonderful
way to add color and pop to projects without adding too
much extra weight. Of course, not every design is
applique, but did you know that you can turn many
open, light-stitching designs into an applique? It’s
easy, and lets you create amazing, colorful results with
just a simple trick.

So to start, gather up those fabric scraps you’ve been
hoarding. (Yeah, we know you got 'em.) All you need is
anything larger than your chosen light-stitching design.

Then, in addition to your usual cutaway stabilizer and
temporary spray adhesive, you’ll also want a very small,
very sharp scissors, and a
printed template of your embroidery design to help
guide placement.

Here I'm using the
Fancy Feather. This trick works best with designs
that are light and open, so your fabric shows through.
Browse the
Light Stitching category for more possibilities!

The scissors is key, because after you stitch your
design with the fabric, you’ll want something nimble and
sharp to cut the fabric away around the edges.

What you stitch this on is up to you. This kind of
effect looks fantastic on anything from pillows to tees.
It’s light enough for almost any project.

Whatever it is you’re adding this to, hoop it up with
your stabilizer. Then, take your first piece of applique
fabric and lightly spray the back with your temporary
spray adhesive. This piece of fabric should be a good
deal larger than your design to give you plenty of room
for error.

Gently place your fabric covering the area your design
is going to be stitching in. You should have lots of
excess fabric around it just in case.

Smooth the applique fabric onto the hooped fabric so it
stays snugly in place.

Start stitching your design onto your fabric.

Piece of cake! Now you have your design stitched on top
of your fabric.

Now all you need to do is remove the excess fabric. Grab
that tiny sharp scissors, and carefully start cutting
around the edges. Take care to cut through only the top
layer of fabric.

You can repeat this effect to get the greatest impact
out of your hoop.

Just reposition your design, playing around with
mirroring and rotating (this is where a template is
useful) and set up your next design for stitching.

You will place your fabric just as you did before. That
may mean it will cover part of your original design at
first.

Once your next design has stitched, you can cut away the
excess fabric as before.

Keep going! I mean, what are all those fabric scraps for
if not for making awesome things like this?

I decided to do a whole cascade of feathers. I had all
the fabric, why not? The effect still stays light on
your project and adds a beautiful tough without adding
much bulk.

This is the final result!

So, now you know just how simple it is to add fabric
behind light stitching designs. It can be applied to so
many different ideas, and creates big effect if you
repeat it on a project.

I think it looks totally chic on home decor, but you can
get creative with how you use it in your own ways.
Pillows, tees, kids clothes, towels... whatever! With
that fabric stash you have hiding in your studio, the
sky’s the limit...